


Albus Potter and the Vial of Blood

by ahb



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 01:38:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11818488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahb/pseuds/ahb
Summary: Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy are finally ready to enjoy a calm year at Hogwarts. Rumors about Scorpius' parentage have quieted, Albus is getting along with his dad, and the two Slytherin boys feel at home in the castle they once hated. As their relationship brings them closer together, will an old curse be the thing that tears them apart?





	Albus Potter and the Vial of Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Updates will be frequent and include more dialogue than this first chapter, which is mostly to segue from Cursed Child to the story. (Knowledge of the events of Cursed Child is helpful but not strictly necessary).
> 
> The work will be no less than 25 chapters and will most likely include (a) sequel(s).

“Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t got a problem with Slytherins…”

The annual “debate” had begun in a packed carriage aboard the Hogwarts Express as King’s Cross faded out of view of the train’s large glass windows, and as was usually the case these last few years, James Sirius was the only one really participating.  

“I’m just saying, of all the students in Hogwarts, I don’t understand how the Sorting Hat managed to throw the two most obvious Hufflepuffs I’ve ever seen into the house of dark magic!”, James rambled loudly, gesturing to his little brother and the blond-haired boy sitting next to him. James, naturally, was under the impression that referring to anyone as a Hufflepuff, or rather, insinuating that someone belonged in any house other than Gryffindor, was the worst possible indictment of the accused’s character, and yet no one else in the carriage seemed to think so.

Albus Severus, having heard his brother’s trademark diatribe on Gryffindor superiority countless times before, rolled his eyes, as Scorpius Malfoy, who was usually much more nuanced than Albus in his approach to handling the older Potter, did not produce even the slightest acknowledgement of having heard James’ comments, not out of disdain, but simply because he was already absorbed in a potions book, which he read silently through his pair of half-moon spectacles _._

Albus and Scorpius could often be found like this, sitting next to each other, often with limbs intertwined, absorbed in a little world of their own. They didn't necessarily isolate themselves, but between Scorpius' awkwardness, which Albus found endearing, and Albus' short temper, which targeted everyone but Scorpius, they had no desire or reason to move past the limits of their binary bubble. While they had expanded their social interactions to a small group of close friends and family over the years, they were still exclusive in their behaviour and perhaps even a bit elitist in a classically Slytherin sort of way. Their house placement, after all, was an enigma to almost everyone but themselves—the boys, while also intelligent and kind, were cunning, deeply loyal, and valued their aloneness far too highly to be in any other house.

Cousins Lily Potter and Rose Granger-Weasley, also tired of James’ rants despite being in Gryffindor themselves, sat across from each other by the window, discussing Quidditch with Rose’s brother Hugo, who sat between her and James. The two girls were both members of the Gryffindor team and it was rumoured that Rose, entering her fifth year and already the team’s star chaser, was on track to becoming team captain. Although Hugo had never been very good at Quidditch, Rose figured that with some mild coercion she would be able to get him onto the team this year as a beater. After all, with Hermione Granger as her mum and Ginny Weasley as an aunt, Rose knew exactly how to get what she wanted. It certainly didn’t hurt having her dad Ron and uncle Harry around either, but they were rather useless compared to the Minister for Magic and the former Holyhead Harpy. 

By the time the train had reached the outskirts of Greater London, Hugo had already grown sick of Lily and Rose’s conversation. The girls seemed to talk of nothing other than the Firebolt-Nimbus merger since it had been announced three weeks earlier, and as fascinating as Hugo found chatter about potential new broomsticks, Lily and Rose spent far more of their time debating the Ministry’s anti-trust laws and the economic ramifications of a monopolised broomstick market than wondering whether brooms would be available in more colours now.

Looking for a slightly less cerebral conversation right before the start of what was sure to be a demanding third year, Hugo turned his attention to James, who, taking after his uncle George, always seemed to have a trick in the works. Well, always, that is, except for right then apparently, as the only thing coming from James at that moment was a soft but persistent snore. Hugo couldn’t blame him for sleeping. Between Hermione, Rose, and Scorpius, James had a full team of professional naggers begging him to take his seventh year seriously. Clearly they didn't know James well enough if they thought he was going to take anything seriously. 

Realising he’d exhausted all other options by this point, and unwilling to spend the entire trip to Hogwarts in boredom, Hugo dared to look across the carriage at Albus and Scorpius, expecting the worst. Hugo perfectly liked them. After all, they had always treated him kindly and Scorpius was more than willing to tutor him in any subject when necessary, but over the summer, the two Slytherins had developed a propensity for intensely snogging each other in public that, while cute at first, had quickly become more than a wee bit irritating. Luckily, Hugo was surprised to see Scorpius with his glasses still on and his mouth kept to himself, albeit with his head resting on Albus’ shoulder, as he continued to read. Albus, of course, was not reading, but instead had a curious white cord dangling from his ears. Hugo figured he was listening to Muggle music on the musical device their grandfather Arthur had gifted him for his last birthday. Albus had inherited a love of everything Muggle from Arthur and although Hugo normally didn’t care much for Muggle technology, he was rather curious about this particular device.

Hugo tapped Albus on the shoulder, “would you mind showing me how to use that bloody thing?”

“Finally interested, then?” Albus lightly laughed, knowing that Hugo, despite having Muggle grandparents, was hopeless when it came to using anything non-magical. “It’s not too complicated. After all, it’s an iPod, not a Horcrux. Here, put in the earbuds and I’ll play something you’ll like,” Albus insisted, handing Hugo two oddly-shaped white pieces.

Hugo held the earbuds in his hands as he stared at them for a second, wondering how they could possibly play sounds without having been charmed to do so. 

“You put them in your ears,” Albus teased. 

“Yeah, yeah, I knew that part,” Hugo said, rolling his eyes. 

Albus frequently tried to reach out to his cousins in little individual ways like this. He didn’t have a poor relationship with any of them, but when the whole family was together he often felt like an outcast, despite his relatives’ best intentions to make him feel included. Being an introverted Slytherin with no athletic talent wasn’t always easy in a family of extroverted Gryffindor Quidditch stars. Albus loved his parents to bits but at least when it came to how other people viewed him, he was much more comfortable being Arthur’s grandson and Scorpius’ boyfriend than a member of the Potter-Weasley clan.  

Of course, being a Potter had its perks—he didn’t realise it was odd that all the adults he knew had their own Chocolate Frog cards until he first got to Hogwarts and other students started asking him if he could get them his relatives’ autographs. They even wanted his uncle Ron’s, much to his disbelief. Albus’ parents had insulated him from fame, and by extension from the _Daily Prophet_ , as long as they possibly could, but the second Albus arrived at Hogwarts and was sorted into Slytherin, Rita Skeeter was at his heels. He had no time to enjoy being famous before headlines like “Snaky Son of Chosen One Falls off Broomstick” and “Minister for Magic’s Nitwit Nephew Fails at Transfiguration” tactlessly found their way into the Slytherin common room. Albus learned to simply ignore the attention, and as he was all but surgically attached to Scorpius, who also knew what it felt like to be judged solely by his last name, stupid puns and good candy were always there to cheer him up when need be. 

Rita Skeeter, unfortunately alive and well, began publishing rumours about Albus and his siblings years before they even arrived at Hogwarts, much to their parents’ frustration. Although Albus and Scorpius normally ignored anything coming from the _Daily Prophet_ , especially if it came from Skeeter’s gossip section, they were rightfully furious when pictures of themselves holding hands in Honeydukes on a trip to Hogsmeade made the front page. Everyone at school seemed to ignore the paper and leave the boys alone, mostly because the Malfoy-Potter relationship wasn’t news at Hogwarts, but the boys’ parents were nevertheless infuriated at the paper’s publishing of private details of their sons’ lives. As soon as Ginny, who also tried to stay as far away from Skeeter’s writing as possible, found out about what was going on, she strolled right into the blonde witch’s office and “negotiated” full privacy for the boys. Oddly enough, Skeeter was admitted later that very same day to St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, where she reportedly spent almost two full weeks being treated for a truly nasty case of bat bogies.  

Although he was close with many of the Weasleys, Albus had enjoyed a particularly close relationship with his grandfather since birth. Aside from their mutual love for the Muggle world, both were eminently agreeable, at least until the beginning of Albus’ somewhat rebellious teenage years, and unparalleled in their kindness. While Arthur loved all his grandchildren equally, he developed a respect for Albus that mirrored that which he had for his namesake. When Albus sent an owl asking if he could bring Scorpius to the Burrow for Christmas during their first year at Hogwarts, it was Arthur who, despite fierce protest from his sons, replied suggesting that Scorpius bring Astoria and Draco along as well. The family photo from that year, with the Potters, Weasleys, Grangers, and Malfoys all present, even included Scorpius jokingly kissing a laughing Albus on the cheek and Draco Malfoy smiling, wearing a bright purple sweater marked with the letter D. During Christmas celebrations with the Delacours in France two years later, to which the entire family was invited, when Albus nervously announced that he and Scorpius were dating, which was news to no one but Ron, it was once again Arthur who was the first to react, followed immediately by Teddy Lupin, by giving Scorpius a hug and proudly welcoming him to the family. 

Since that first Christmas, all the Potters, Grangers, and Weasleys had adopted Scorpius into the family in their own personal ways. Harry, who at first saw Lucius in his appearance, quickly realised that Scorpius was as similar to Lucius as Hermione was to a troll, and through the young Scorpius, whom he admired and cared for deeply, he began to construct a friendship with Draco. Ginny noticed her son’s crush on his best friend as soon as she saw the two together for the first time and was elated when they finally felt comfortable enough to share the news of their relationship with their families.

Hermione and Ron were both sceptical of the young Malfoy for some time, especially given his academic competition with Rose and his striking resemblance to his father, but Hermione bonded with Scorpius over their shared interest in House Elf rights and after her nudging Ron to look past his ancestry, the two treated him much like a nephew. 

James, always looking for people to play tricks on, was surprised by Scorpius’ willingness to participate in his ridiculous schemes, and Lily, who seemed to care almost exclusively about her appearance and, oddly enough, about Muggle academics, also took to him as he would paint her nails, braid her hair, and discuss literature with her whenever she asked.

Despite the unlikelihood of this particular arrangement only one generation earlier, this train carriage was thus happily occupied by both Gryffindors and Slytherins, or perhaps even more tellingly, by a clan comprised of multiple Potters, Weasleys, and a Malfoy. 

Much to Hermione’s dismay, none of the young Potters or Weasleys took much of an interest in reading, but she happily found a voracious intellectual appetite in Scorpius and frequently provided him with annotated books on a variety of subjects from her private library. 

Although the two read each other Muggle stories from time to time, it was uncommon for Albus to follow Scorpius’ more academic choices in reading. Scorpius usually found this to Albus’ detriment, and made a point of saying so, but in this moment, he was relieved to know his boyfriend would be oblivious to this particular potion recipe.

Scorpius shared everything with Albus and keeping this from him was driving him mad. He knew, however, that he could not tell him about it until he was absolutely sure. If Albus knew what Scorpius suspected and had long feared, there would have been no summer flying lessons outside the Burrow, no staying up into the early hours reading, no make-out sessions, and certainly no Hogwarts.

Scorpius’ eyes were fixated on the image of a dark red liquid in a glass vial, one he worried he would become all too familiar with. He read the note scribbled in the margin for what felt like the millionth time, wishing he had another option.

_Tread carefully. Blood potions are not for the faint of heart._

“Hey Scorp,” Albus heard Lily call a still-reading, and totally oblivious, Scorpius from across the carriage.

“Oi, Scorpius!” She yelled, knowing even this would not work to get his attention while he was reading.

Luckily, she did know the one trick.

“Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, I would appreciate your attention.”

“You know I don’t like when you use my middle name,” Scorpius quietly answered, closing his book.

“At least you’re not called Albus Severus,” Lily responded, giggling.

“Hey! Dad says—,” Albus tried to defend himself before being cut off.

“Yeah, yeah, they were both headmasters and the bravest men he’s ever met, we know,” Rose imitated her uncle in a mocking tone. Interrupting the Slytherin boys was one of Lily and Rose’s shared pastimes.

“I quite like Al’s name. It’s very historical.” Scorpius tried his best to calm Albus, who was already grumbling to himself about spending another year at Hogwarts with his “bloody annoying family”.

“Now do I have your attention or not, Scorp?”

“I’m not convinced I have another choice, Lily. What could possibly be so important?” Scorpius asked, preparing to roll his eyes.

“Do you have any more pepper imps?”

As Scorpius unwillingly forked over a handful of his favourite candy and James’ snore only grew louder, a familiar sensation flooded the students’ minds—that of going home. Of course, Hogwarts wasn’t where their parents now lived, nor was it where they themselves would spend their lives after graduation, but in the same way it had been a refuge for their parents many years before, it was now a home to them. 

English moor gave way to Scottish glen outside the carriage window, clouds set in over the hilltops and raindrops began to trickle down from a familiar sky—one that had greeted young witches and wizards on their journey to school since the days of the founders.

* * *

“You think they’ll be alright?”

“Harry, you’ve asked me every year since we first dropped off James, and every year I’ve said yes. McGonagall is probably watching them with Omnioculars and a Sneakoscope.” Ginny responded, trying to soothe Harry, who had become quite the involved parent.

“I know. It’s just that with everything we went through at Hogwarts…” Harry’s unfinished sentence said more than words would have.

“Try not to worry. The time-turner business is over and I don’t think any of them will have to fight a basilisk. Not that Lily wouldn’t like to…” Hermione chimed in.

“Or play life-sized Wizard’s Chess,” Ron added.

“Or be attacked by a hippogriff, transfigured into a ferret, and left bleeding in the boy’s bathroom after being hit with some unknown dark curse,” Draco supplied.

“The first two were your fault, Draco. I’m still sorry about the last one.”

“Water under the bridge, Potter.”

“Well, now that we’ve reassured Harry and taken that lovely trip down memory lane, do you think we could leave King’s Cross? People are staring even more than they normally do.” Ginny remarked, far too aware of the public attention that came with spending time with her family.

“That’s probably my fault, the _Daily Prophet_ just ran a piece on my peacocks,” Draco stated nonchalantly in his characteristic drawl.

“I thought I told you to get rid of those years ago, Draco. You’re violating at least half a dozen of my administration’s restrictions on the handling of non-magical creatures!” Hermione quickly responded, ready to cite the laws she herself wrote.

“They’ve been in the Malfoy family for generations, Hermione. I can’t just get rid of them. They’re practically an heirloom.”

“The Malfoys don’t have the best track record with creatures that have been in the family for generations, mate,” Ron said calmly, not sure of the meaning behind his own words until they escaped his mouth. No one needed a reminder of the small grave in the garden at Shell Cottage.

An awkward moment of silence passed before Hermione decided to change the subject and the quintet began walking out of the train station. Draco knew she wouldn’t send Aurors to Malfoy Manor in search of albino peacocks so further discussion of the topic was useless.

“Has Scorpius been enjoying the latest book I sent him? It’s an advanced potions book, far past O.W.L. level, of course, but I figured he could manage some of the simpler recipes.”

“As far as I could tell, Malfoy Junior was spending more time testing how far he could shove his tongue down Al’s throat this summer than reading,” Ron interjected, smirking.

“Ron! For Merlin’s sake, you were no better at their age!” Ginny retorted.

“I didn’t say I had a problem with it! I’m happy for my nephew and his boyfriend, even if they are Slytherins.”

“I for one am happy the boys are finally comfortable enough to show affection in front of us,” Hermione began. “When Rose began dating I immediately went to—,”

“The library,” Harry and Ron interrupted simultaneously.

“Well yes, it’s very beneficial to be well-read on parenting strategies, and I read a few books on Muggle psychology which said public affection is an important milestone in any teenage relationship.”

“Hermione Granger, Minister for Magic and Muggle Psychologist,” Harry mocked while rolling his eyes.

“I think she has a point, Harry. Albus and Scorpius do seem to have become rather serious lately.” Ginny supported.

“It’s true. Whenever they were apart, I found Scorpius owling Albus at least three times a day.” Draco added.

“Great. I’m happy they’re happy but it’s not like they’re going to get married anytime soon.” Harry answered, seemingly doubting his own assertion.

“Harry, I know you had quite a bit of Firewhisky that night but I hope you remember we got married when I was 19 and you were 20,” Ginny reminded him sarcastically.

“Things were different then,” Harry defended as the five adult wizards reached their cars in the centre of Muggle London.

“I best get back to the Ministry, today’s the debate on Wi-Fi regulation in Wizarding households,” Hermione said as she kissed the others goodbye.

“I have a bad feeling if you restrict Wi-Fi access you’ll be making enemies out of your nieces and nephews,” Harry laughed.

“Yes well, my kids aren’t fond of the idea either. We can only hope some Purebloods stay out of this. No offense, Draco.”

“None taken. I installed internet in the Manor years ago. The Muggles finally did something right.”

“My parents will be glad to know you think so,” Hermione smiled. 

“Will everyone be coming for dinner?” Harry reminded them of the post-Hogwarts drop off tradition.

“As long as Ginny has no part in cooking, I’ll be there,” Ron joked, earning him a punch in the shoulder from his little sister.

“I’ll be there as well. May I bring a guest…someone I’ve been seeing?” Draco asked quietly.

“You’ve been seeing some—” Ginny interrupted Harry before he could finish his question.

“Of course, Draco! We would love to meet her!” 

“Wonderful, we’ll be there at eight.”

“Great, see you all later,” Ginny addressed everyone as they went their separate ways. “And good luck on the Wi-Fi, Minister Granger,” she said to Hermione with a wink.

Draco’s relationship with the Potters and Weasleys was a sort of miraculous thing birthed from his love for his son. While it was originally difficult for Draco to accept Scorpius’ dating Albus, not because they were both boys of course, but because of Albus’ last name, he quickly realised he would have to come to terms with spending lots of time with a clan of bespectacled Gryffindors and freckled redheads, although Albus’ being in Slytherin was a slight consolation. Over time, Draco began to appreciate gradually becoming a part of the family he once called “blood traitors”, and in doing so, was able to abandon a prejudice he had held onto since childhood. Receiving a Christmas sweater from Molly Weasley for the first time was one of the proudest moments of his life.

Because of this closeness, Draco wanted to introduce the woman he’d been dating, Ella, to the Potters and Weasleys. They had known Astoria at least as well as anyone else had, and he could not fathom introducing Ella to Scorpius without some sort of test-run. Despite Astoria’s wishes for him to live happily after her death, Draco found it impossible to move on emotionally for years, and saw dating as a betrayal of her memory. The blood curse that had killed Astoria had given her more time than they had originally anticipated, but it was still nowhere near enough. As large and kind as Scorpius’ newly-extended Potter-Weasley family was, Draco wished every day that they could go back to the days when it was just them three, alone but with Astoria.

* * *

With the train well on its way to Hogsmeade, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall was already in her office preparing for the new school year. One thought hovered in her mind, but she was too stubborn, and far too noble, to take it seriously—perhaps she was nearing the end of her tenure. 

Reconstruction after the Battle of Hogwarts had been two-fold. While she mainly oversaw the structural renewal of the castle, McGonagall knew many of her former students, including Harry and Ron who had, much to her and Hermione’s collective dismay, decided not to return for their final year of schooling at the end of the war, continued fighting against ex-Death Eaters and those otherwise loyal to Voldemort, some of whom had organized their own small groups to support the “Pureblood cause”. McGonagall had seen Ministers come and go and thus had no doubt that despite Hermione’s strong grasp on her employees and universal vision of equality for the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds, the Ministry was still infiltrated to this day by those wishing to once again put this current period of peace in peril.

Nonetheless, the former Head of Gryffindor House was surprised and elated to see change in the young generation of a society that had been devastated not only by two wars of epic scale, but also by the ideological divisions and hatred that accompanied them. While she was certain her years at Hogwarts would see more students duelling in the halls late at night, it had been quite a refreshing surprise a few years earlier to happen upon a seventh-year Amanda Parkinson fighting alongside, rather than against, her classmate Victoire Weasley.

There was one thing about her job, however, that she sometimes feared she could not handle. For the last few years, McGonagall’s every day at Hogwarts had been bittersweet. Bittersweet, she admitted to herself, because every time Albus and Scorpius were caught sneaking around the castle at night, she couldn’t help but think of Remus and Sirius. Her heart still broke for Harry’s parents whenever she passed Lily or James in the halls. She couldn’t laugh along when she saw Teddy spontaneously sprout a pig’s nose to scare his friends, not because she didn’t want to encourage his antics, but because she saw Tonks so vividly in him that she wondered if she’d unknowingly stumbled upon the Resurrection Stone. She grieved for Snape when Rose excelled in potions, still devastated she was never able to say goodbye to the colleague, no, the friend, she so gravely misunderstood. And as frustrated as she was those times when Hugo blew up a school toilet or set off fireworks in the Great Hall, she could not bring herself to send an owl to the Weasleys, knowing they too would be reminded immediately of Fred and feel the same unique mixture of sadness and pride that filled her entire being when she recognised those she had lost in the faces of this new generation. It was true that Hogwarts Castle had always been filled with ghosts, but never had they felt so real. 


End file.
